This invention relates to a sleep support system for comfortably supporting a user during sleep. More particularly, it relates to a sleep support system for face-down sleep in essentially a sitting position, for use with at least one support, adapted to support a user's body so that the user's buttocks and thighs are in an approximately horizontal position.
A consensus exists within most scientific and medical communities supporting a correlation between sleep and the health of an individual. Numerous studies have shown a link between chronic sleep disruption and poor physical and mental well-being.
The importance of sleep disruption as a public health problem has been recognized by both national and international groups, including the World Health Organization. In a 1996 study undertaken by the World Health Organization, researchers reported that over a quarter of the 26,000 primary care patients in 15 surveyed countries experienced chronic sleep disruptions. Individuals recognized as being most negatively affected by sleep disruption were recovering patients and individuals with long-term medical conditions. Sleep disruption in a recovering patient can slow the progress of recuperation, thereby increasing the risk of complications and subsequent cost of health care for the patient.
A significant number of medical conditions and procedures require that patients remain in specific and/or restricted positions during rest or sleep. Many individuals are limited to sleeping in an upright position. Physicians, medical practitioners and patients have known for some time that for many conditions, an upright sleep position can aid in relieving discomfort, thereby increasing the duration and quality of sleep. Patients with moderate to advanced congestive heart failure having pulmonary edema (pooling of fluid in lungs) find that the resulting dyspnea (difficulty in breathing) is often relieved by upright sleep. Burn patients and patients with injuries to the back of the body often use an upright sleep position to manage pain. Other common conditions that benefit from upright sleep include gastro esophageal reflux disorder (backward flow up into the esophagus of acidic stomach contents) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (periodic short term blockage of the airway during sleep).
Standard patient recovery rooms are characteristically equipped with an adjustable bed and a rolling over-bed table. Most standard adjustable hospital beds are designed to provide a limited range of user positioning. Typically, the upper supporting portion of the bed may be raised to an inclined position of less than 90 degrees. Limited bed adjustability forces most upright sleeping patients and attending staff to improvise makeshift upright sleep supports using pillows and blankets.
Based on the above discussion, it is clear that many individuals could benefit from a system designed to facilitate comfortable upright sleep. Introduction of a relatively inexpensive system would allow both inpatient health care providers, and home-based caregivers, the greatest flexibility in providing upright sleep support systems to patient recovery rooms. In addition, the need exists for a lightweight portable system that will allow for set-up and removal by any attending patient-care staff member or home-care individual. Further, a need exists for a system that provides a compact design that can utilize existing furnishings, fixtures and equipment for primary support, limiting the impact to individual patient space and storage requirements.